Post Doc Position in Freshwater Ecology in DRyVER Project

Department: Department of Botany and Zoology  – Faculty of Science
Deadline: 24 Jan 2022
Start date: February-March 2022
Job type: full-time
Job field: Science and research

Bursar of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University announces an open competition for the position Post Doc position in freshwater ecology in DRyVER project

Workplace: Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic
Type of Contract: temporary position with 1.5-year contract, non-academic
Working Hours: 1,0 FTE (full-time employment of 40 hours per week)
Expected Start Date: February-March 2022 or negotiable with respect to immigration timelines for non EU candidates
Number of Open Positions: 1
Pay: ca 46 000 CZK per month
EU Researcher Profile : R2

About the Workplace

Masaryk University  is the second-largest university in the Czech Republic with ten faculties, more than 5000 staff, and more than 30 000 students.

Faculty of Science  MU, a proud holder of the HR Excellence in Research Award  by the European Commission, is a research-oriented faculty, offering university education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs) closely linked to both primary and applied research and high school teaching of the following sciences: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth sciences. We are the most productive scientific unit of the Masaryk University generating around 40 % of MU research results.

Department of Botany and Zoology  is a modern centre of research and teaching in the fields of evolutionary biology, biosystematics and ecology. Its individual research groups study phylogenetic relationships and the classification of organisms, their diversity from the local to the continental level, and the ecological relationships of individual species, populations and communities in relation to both natural and human-induced changes in entire ecosystems.

Job Description

• Using field experiment to test several hypotheses i.e. to test that a reduction in multi-trophic diversity resulting from drying and dispersal constraints should negatively impact ecosystem functioning through a decrease in (i) the rates and magnitude of biogeochemical processes and (ii) the resilience of these processes to a new drying event.
• Applicant will be responsible (with support of Masaryk University specialists and technician) for building and maintenance of experimental channels positioned in situ in two river reaches (headwaters and downstream) of a selected focal catchment (DRN) in the Czech Republic, exposed to recolonization by invertebrate and microbial communities. After an initial simulated drying event will be studied relative importance of different pools of dispersers in the meta-community (e.g. downstream drift, upward hyporheic migration, aerial dispersal, and upstream waterborne migration) to assess the impact of reduced multi-trophic diversity associated with dispersal constraints on the resilience of ecosystem functions.
• Biomass and diversity of focal taxa (i.e. bacteria, fungi, diatoms, macroinvertebrates) will be measured in collaboration with other specialist (e.g. biochemistry and biofilms from other partners – NIOO, UGA, Insbruck University) at the end of recolonization periods. Applicant will be especially responsible for sampling, sample processing, partially identification, biomass determination and analyses of macroinvertebrates samples with support of Masaryk University team. The data collected in this task will reveal the importance of naturally arising multiple-trophic biodiversity gradients on ecosystem functioning in model catchment.

Skills and Qualifications

The applicant must have:

• PhD in Limnology or Aquatic ecology with focus on stream macroinvertebrates
• Excellent knowledge of English in speech and writing
• Experience working in freshwater ecology and aquatic macroinvertebrates with special emphasis to experiments
• Experience in publication of previous work in the high ranked impact factor journals
• starting a position within 8 years after obtaining the Ph.D.
• in case of obtaining a Ph.D. degree at MU the condition is to complete the first PostDoc position outside MU (min. 2 years)

The applicant should have:

• Driving license and good physical conditions enabling field work during experimental work

Detailed info: Dr. Petr Paril, [email protected] , phone +420776717284, (https://www.muni.cz/en/people/70751-petr-paril ), project web page: https://www.dryver.eu/

We offer:

• Prestigious position with possible future collaboration in international project
• Flexible working hours and occasional home office to support personal needs in family and career compatibility
• Employee benefits such as six weeks of paid vacation per year, pension insurance contribution, contribution to lunches in canteens of MU or meal vouchers, discounted language courses, discount in the university cinema, exclusive mobile tariff offer by Vodafone
• Opportunity to work and live in a modern and dynamic city

(for more information on costs of living, you can refer to Numbeo )

Application Process

The application shall be submitted online via an e-application, please find the reference to the e-application in the beginning and end of the advertisement.

The candidate shall provide following:

• Motivation letter, CV (with list of publications), A copy of the PhD diploma and two recommendations contacts related to their previous work - e.g. supervisors (name, affiliation and e-mail).

After submitting your application successfully, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from jobs.muni.cz .

Selection Process

Received applications will be considered carefully in line with principles of the EU Charter and Code for Researchers . Selection criteria: (i) meeting qualification requirements described above, (ii) all required documents provided.

If we do not contact you within 10 working days after the application deadline at the latest, it means that we have shortlisted other candidates meeting the position requirements.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a personal or online  interview.

The Faculty Recruitment Policy (OTM-R) can be seen here .

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University is an equal opportunity employer. We support diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Visit our Career page .

We are looking forward to hearing from you!